Despite the increasing use of computers, the basic need for mathematical tables continues. Tables serve a vital role in preliminary surveys of problems before programming for machine operation, and they are indispensable to thousands of engineers and scientists without access to machines. Because of automatic computers, however, and because of recent scientific advances, a greater variety of functions and a higher accuracy of tabulation than have been available until now are required.

This is effectively the eighth edition of Aslib's flagship reference work, Handbook of Special Librarianship and Information Work , which has provided the seminal text on modern information theory, practice, and procedure since 1957.

Special functions, which include the trigonometric functions, have been used for centuries. Their role in the solution of differential equations was exploited by Newton and Leibniz, and the subject of special functions has been in continuous development ever since.